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Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Post-Op Preparation

Fortunately, I had nearly a month to prepare my house for my recovery. I obtained all the necessary equipment (walker, cane, bath bench, etc.), laundered and removed all the throw rugs, and made sure I could move about my house with the walker when I returned from the hospital. I practiced using all the devices and found what did and did not work.

By practicing, I found obstacles that would have been frustrating to handle after the surgery and devised ways to eliminate or reduce the problem areas. For example, the bathroom doorway was not wide enough for the walker with the door in place, so I took the door off the hinges and stored it in the guest bedroom.

My hairdresser loaned me a device with handles that slipped under the sofa cushions. It would allow me to safely get up off of the sofa. Even though the device was adjustable, my sofa was still too low to allow me to stand without bending my operated knee. I had to find a way to raise the sofa.

Since my sofa has five legs, I could not use the bed risers I already had. The guy at the lumber yard suggested cutting a fence post (3.5 inches square) and finding someone to router a hole for the sofa leg. I came up with an easier solution - a Mason jar lid, nailed to the block, and it worked like a charm.

fence post blocks

Mason jar lid nailed to the fence post block

sofa on the fence post risers and the handy handles loaned to meby my hair dresser.

While the solution is not the most attractive, it is working great. I can safely get on and off of the sofa by myself. If I had not prepared my home for my recovery, I would have been miserable and frustrated.

I am so impressed. I would have never thought to do these things. The mason jar fence post legs are ingenius. I've never seen handles like the ones that your hairdresser loaned you either. I can imagine what a huge help they are. Blessings, Betsy

Nancy, you continue to be a super teacher. You have taught the rest of us to think ahead. Most people don't want to think past the big OR. The hardest part is not the Operating table for the patient. The only gift/suggestion I had for a friend who had back surgery was to give her the BEST waterless shampoo I know of. It gave her a few days of easy hair care.

Good for you for thinking ahead and trying your devices out. I'm sure having things work to your advantage has helped you make progress. Keep up the good work. (I'm assuming you are in PT now and working like a dog - ARF!)